Saving the Environment - A Global Movement

Contributed by Alex Boros:

Saving the Environment - A Global Movement

           Since WWII, the United States has undergone many changes in numerous facets of society.  One major shift that was noticed during this time period was an increasing awareness of the environment, and the protection that American’s could provide for nature.  On April 22^nd, 1970, “Earth Day” was celebrated for the first time on the planet, and reflected the clearly changing landscape of American concern for the environment.  The real environmental motion of the era was boosted by the printing of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring that clearly outlined the dangerous effects of DDT pollution.  In 1965, the International Joint Commission recognized that the threat of pollution in the Great Lakes could cause harm to humans and urged Canada and America to regulate and prevent pollution near lakes and rivers.  The Sierra Club reached a peak in membership, the World Wildlife Fund was founded, and JFK pronounced to the UN that, “Every inhabitant of this planet must contemplate the day when this planet may no longer be habitable… The weapons of war must be abolished before they abolish us," to show support for nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation.  The history from 1960-1970 alone shows a growing trend of US involvement in fixing the environment, and protecting the environment as a whole.

Interview:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUlRjAbv2WM 

For more information on the the movement to protect the environment, see:

"1940-1960." 1940-1960. Bryant University, n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2013. http://web.bryant.edu/~smcdonal/history/1940.html.

"Conservation, Preservation, and Environmental Activism: A Survey of the Historical Literature." Conservation, Preservation, and Environmental Activism. National Park Service, 16 Jan. 2003. Web. 18 Feb. 2013. http://www.nps.gov/history/history/hisnps/NPSThinking/nps-oah.htm.

"Decades of Change - 1960-1980." Decades of Change - 1960-1980. U.S. Department of State's Bureau of International Information Programs, 05 Apr. 2008. Web. 18 Feb. 2013. http://www.america.gov/st/educ-english/2008/April/20080407123655eaifas0.7868769.html.

"An Environment and Sustainability Chronology." An Environment and Sustainability Chronology. Sustainability Reporting Programme, 2004. Web. 18 Feb. 2013. http://www.sustreport.org/resource/es_timeline.htm.

"Environmental History Timeline: 1960 - 1970." Environmental History Timeline: 1960 - 1970. Radford University, n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2013. http://www.radford.edu/wkovarik/envhist/8sixties.html.